Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The International Harvester Scout was introduced in 1961 at the first competitor to Jeep. To this day it is considered a classic piece of automotive history. Doesn't the mom in the car look like Nancy Reagan?

It's amazing, if you think about it, how much cars have evolved in the last 50 years!!! While the Scout looked cool, it is incredible how unsafe it was. It does not even appear to have seat belts, not to mention zero roll-over protection?

Monday, November 17, 2014

I have so idea what it is about this photo that seems so attractive and cool to me? I don't know if it is that the car kind of looks Batmobileish? American cars used to be so much cooler back in the day...

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Today, Telsa proudly introduced the fastest four-wheel sedan ever made, which can do 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds, and it also can drive itself!!! Oh, and it offers All Wheel Drive...So what exactly does this mean? It probably means the P85D is now the overall best car made in history!!!!

What does all this mean? Basically, the Tesla P85D is a Supercar Sedan, which has created a new class of cars. This means that if anybody pulls up next to you in an kind of production car, the couldn't beat the P85D is an kind of race, not that you should be racing people driving Ferrari 458 models or Bugatti Veyron models ;-)

Tesla has rated the P85D at being able to do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, but to the best of my knowledge, Tesla typically understates their acceleration, so I would not be surprised if the real number is in the high two seconds. In other words, the P85D is an absolute game-changer!!!! Oh, and if you charge it at home during off-peak hours, you get a range of close to 300 miles for under $5 in electricity!!?!?!! Compare that to a Bugatti Veyron that gets 7 miles to the gallon in the city.

In this next video, Elon Musk, Founding CEO of Telsa takes a Bloomberg reporter and cameramen on a test drive of the all-new Tesla S P85D.

In the video below Elon Musk discusses how Tesla's all-new Auto Pilot works. Basically you should think of the Tesla Auto Pilot feature as the next generation in cruise-control.

Design Analysis

The P85D offers many unique features beyond being a rocket on wheels. For instance, it is the only Tesla Model S P85D that offers a perfect 50/50 weight balance between the front and rear of the car. All the other Tesla models are close at 52/48, but the P85D is perfectly balance due to its two engines, as seen below.

It is also worth noting that the Model S offers such an amazingly useful amount of cargo space due to the fact the motors are located between the wheels. This gives the car super traction, and saves tremendous room since there is no drivetrain, or exhaust.

The standard Model S Tesla offers seat that are available in different materials including leather, as seen below.

With the advent of the P85D Tesla S, there is an upgraded all-new seat named the "Next Generation Seat", which is seen below. These new seat are beefed up, and offer more substantial seat bolsters.

I put together the animation below which clearly shows the difference between the standard Model S leather seats and the "Next Generation" leather seats. If you watch the image carefully you will notice how much more lateral support the Next Generation seat provide, even for back seat occupants.

My background is in design, and as a designer, I have spent a bunch of time studying all the details on the Tesla, and the only feature I really have an issue with have to do with the seats. In particular, I think Tesla should offer seating options that include air-conditioned seats, the point of which is that they keep you dry and refreshed.

I would also love to see Tesla offer built-in seat massagers, like Mercedes offers. Also, I think the center armrests and the door armrests should be more luxurious, by adding more padding like you would find on a Lexus LS 460 or S-Class Mercedes.

So one of the obvious question, is what is the impact of this new model introduction with the Tesla P85D? It could be argued that the already great Tesla S sedan, is now the best car made. As a matter of fact, Motor Trend awarded it the 2013 Car Of The Year, pointing out that being as smooth as a Rolls Royce, it had close to the cargo capacity of a Ford Explorer.

TESLA MODEL S ACHIEVES BEST SAFETY RATING OF ANY CAR EVER TESTED

SETS NEW NHTSA VEHICLE SAFETY SCORE RECORD

MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2013

Palo Alto, CA — Independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception. Approximately one percent of all cars tested by the federal government achieve 5 stars across the board. NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars are captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers, where the Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4 stars.

Of all vehicles tested, including every major make and model approved for sale in the United States, the Model S set a new record for the lowest likelihood of injury to occupants. While the Model S is a sedan, it also exceeded the safety score of all SUVs and minivans. This score takes into account the probability of injury from front, side, rear and rollover accidents.

The Model S has the advantage in the front of not having a large gasoline engine block, thus creating a much longer crumple zone to absorb a high speed impact. This is fundamentally a force over distance problem – the longer the crumple zone, the more time there is to slow down occupants at g loads that do not cause injuries. Just like jumping into a pool of water from a tall height, it is better to have the pool be deep and not contain rocks. The Model S motor is only about a foot in diameter and is mounted close to the rear axle, and the front section that would normally contain a gasoline engine is used for a second trunk.

For the side pole intrusion test, considered one of the most difficult to pass, the Model S was the only car in the "good" category among the other top one percent of vehicles tested. Compared to the Volvo S60, which is also 5-star rated in all categories, the Model S preserved 63.5 percent of driver residual space vs. 7.8 percent for the Volvo. Tesla achieved this outcome by nesting multiple deep aluminum extrusions in the side rail of the car that absorb the impact energy (a similar approach was used by the Apollo Lunar Lander) and transfer load to the rest of the vehicle. This causes the pole to be either sheared off or to stop the car before the pole hits an occupant.

The rear crash testing was particularly important, given the optional third row children's seat. For this, Tesla factory installs a double bumper if the third row seat is ordered. This was needed in order to protect against a highway speed impact in the rear with no permanently disabling injury to the third row occupants. The third row is already the safest location in the car for frontal or side injuries.

The Model S was also substantially better in rollover risk, with the other top vehicles being approximately 50 percent worse. During testing at an independent facility, the Model S refused to turn over via the normal methods and special means were needed to induce the car to roll. The reason for such a good outcome is that the battery pack is mounted below the floor pan, providing a very low center of gravity, which simultaneously ensures exceptional handling and safety.

Of note, during validation of Model S roof crush protection at an independent commercial facility, the testing machine failed at just above 4 g's. While the exact number is uncertain due to Model S breaking the testing machine, what this means is that at least four additional fully loaded Model S vehicles could be placed on top of an owner's car without the roof caving in. This is achieved primarily through a center (B) pillar reinforcement attached via aerospace grade bolts.

The above results do not tell the full story. It is possible to game the regulatory testing score to some degree by strengthening a car at the exact locations used by the regulatory testing machines. After verifying through internal testing that the Model S would achieve a NHTSA 5-star rating, Tesla then analyzed the Model S to determine the weakest points in the car and retested at those locations until the car achieved 5 stars no matter how the test equipment was configured.

The Model S lithium-ion battery did not catch fire at any time before, during or after the NHTSA testing. It is worth mentioning that no production Tesla lithium-ion battery has ever caught fire in the Model S or Roadster, despite several high speed impacts. While this is statistically unlikely to remain the case long term, Tesla is unaware of any Model S or Roadster occupant fatalities in any car ever.

The graphic below shows the statistical Relative Risk Score (RRS) of Model S compared with all other vehicles tested against the exceptionally difficult NHTSA 2011 standards. In 2011, the standards were revised upward to make it more difficult to achieve a high safety rating.

The Safest Car In History

The Tesla Model S is arguably the safest car ever made. It received a 5-Star Safety Rating from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).

Remarkably, the Model S Tesla is on of only a few cars that ever achieved a 5-Star safety rating from both the U.S. National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), and the European NCAP.

On November 5, 2014, Tesla Model S Achieved the Euro NCAP 5-Star Safety Rating, and below is the text from the press release:

We're pleased to announce that the Tesla Model S has received a maximum-possible 5-star safety rating from the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP).

Model S is one of just a few cars to have ever achieved a 5-star safety rating from both Euro NCAP and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Additionally, Model S is the only car this year to have achieved both a 5-star Euro NCAP rating and 5 stars in every NHTSA subcategory, including frontal impact, side impact, and rollover. Only two other cars have earned the same recognition since 2011 (when NHTSA introduced its latest rating scheme).

The reason so few models achieve 5-star ratings in both Europe and the U.S. is that each program places emphasis on different safety aspects in the assessment process. NHTSA emphasizes structural and restraint safety, with a deep focus on how well the vehicle can withstand and absorb the energy of an impact while protecting its occupants. It is also primarily concerned with adult occupants. On the other hand, Euro NCAP assesses a wider range of scenarios, including tests for child and pedestrian safety. Unlike for NHTSA, active safety is also an important part of Euro NCAP's 5-star requirement. Every year, the European organization raises the standard for a 5-star rating to account for technological advances in the industry.

The dual 5-star ratings for Model S validate our holistic approach to safety. We have been engineering passive and active safety systems in parallel, so the car is structurally sound and is also designed to intelligently anticipate and react to potentially dangerous situations.

Structurally, Model S has advantages not seen in conventional cars. It has a low center of gravity because its battery pack, the largest mass in the car, is positioned underneath the passenger compartment, making rollover extremely unlikely. It also has a large front crumple zone because of the lack of an engine, meaning it can absorb more energy from a frontal impact, the most common type of crash resulting in fatalities. Its body is reinforced with aluminum extrusions at strategic locations around the car, and the roof can withstand at least 4 g's. It was for these reasons that Model S achieved 5 stars in every subcategory when tested by NHTSA in 2013.

This quarter, we started implementing the Model S active safety system in conjunction with the introduction of new Autopilot hardware, consisting of 12 ultrasonic sensors that sense up to 16 feet around the car, a forward-looking camera, a forward radar, and a digitally controlled, high-precision electric brake boost. We specifically selected this hardware to accommodate the progressive introduction of new safety features via software updates over the course of the next several months.

While the features already pushed to the Model S fleet - Lane Departure Warning and Speed Limit Warning - have proven sufficient to merit a 5-star NCAP rating, we will go much further with active safety systems. Features coming soon include Forward and Side Collision Warning and Avoidance, Blind Spot Warning, and Automatic Emergency Braking.

Safety has always been Tesla's top priority, and we remain committed to continuously improving Model S to ensure that adults, children, and pedestrians alike receive the best possible protection from the car and its technology. In the meantime, Model S owners can be secure in the knowledge that this recognition from Euro NCAP reaffirms their car's outstanding safety qualities.

The video below is a Tesla EV Safety Training video for first responders, and it offers fascinating insight into how the Tesla is made.

Great Tesla Reviews

The following videos offer more valuable insight into the magic behind the Tesla Model S.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

I imagine it was just a matter of time, decades in the making to be exact, but it is finally here, a Range Rover sports car, and this puppy has a very adequate level of 0-60MPH acceleration of 4.5 seconds! It can make the Zoom-Zoom go Boom-Boom!!!

Monday, August 11, 2014

Back on the 1980s, when I was 15-17, our next door neighbor owned a Dino Ferrari 308 GT4, and I used to totally trip on how cool looking and modern it was. I still think its design is a magnificent work of art, so it is great to be able to share this video.

Monday, August 4, 2014

It is hard to believe, but BMW actually brought the hybrid i8 to market, and it appears to be amazing!! Check out the detailed video to learn much more...

The styling on the i8 is super-cool and reminiscent of the BMW M1. It is so fascinating that this is a BMW, because it really doesn't look like one. It kind of looks like a Ferrari and BMW mixed into one car.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

This is not just an ordinary vintage Ferrari. It is a 1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Special, which was really ahead of its time in many ways. The sunroof adds a then unique touch to the car, so when you drive the car, it feels much more like a convertible.

Gooding and Company is auctioning of this beauty, and the following is from the press release:

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 23, 2014) – Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, is honored to announce that it will be presenting a bespoke 1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale at its Pebble Beach Auctions on August 16 and 17. Known as Tre Posti due to its groundbreaking front three-seat layout, this exceptional Ferrari represents the intersection of three great names working at the height of their careers: Enzo Ferrari, Sergio Pininfarina, and Luigi Chinetti. Presented in wonderfully original condition and boasting just 7,900 km, the automotive masterpiece has captivated admirers since it was first introduced with its striking and glamorous Gardenia White exterior, black upholstery with bright red carpets, and distinctive moon roof. Never before offered at public sale, Tre Posti has been consigned for auction directly from the Chinetti Family.

David Gooding, President: “The Tre Posti stands alone. This work of automotive art represents the ultimate in 1960s sports car design. In my opinion, Tre Posti is an extraordinary coachbuilt tour de force and by all respects one of the most important and valuable Ferraris ever designed. Its competition underpinnings and special provenance make it one of the finest Ferraris in existence.”

Luigi Chinetti Sr.

Luigi Chinetti Sr. was an Italian-born racecar driver who was instrumental in introducing the Ferrari marque to the world. He famously arranged a groundbreaking deal with Enzo Ferrari to become the first, and for many years, the only, Ferrari Factory dealer in the US. A larger-than-life figure, Chinetti’s awards and accolades included three wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two outright victories at the Spa 24 Hours race, and served as captain of the North American Racing Team (NART). He won both Ferrari’s first and its last victory at Le Mans in 1949 and 1965. Chinetti’s love for automobiles and racing, as well as his appreciation of technology and engineering drove his business choices. Under his guidance he directed the cultivation of many outstanding Ferrari collections, only occasionally keeping a select few gems, including Tre Posti, for himself.

Tre Posti in Detail

The culmination of visionary ideas of proportion and detail resulted in one of the most exquisitely-executed Ferraris of all time. Tre Posti, a powerful three-passenger sporting coupe was a prototype based on the racing Ferrari 365 P2. One of the most distinguishing features and a central element of the design was the Ferrari’s three-seat cockpit layout, which places the driver in the center of the car, slightly in front of a passenger seat flanking each side. It is surely among the most remarkable layouts ever created for an automobile. Tre Posti also boasts a lavish interior with a seamlessly integrated chrome roll bar, competition pedal box, and gated shifter, which are further hints at the Tre Posti’s thoroughbred bloodline. In addition, the Ferrari is enhanced with numerous unique characteristics including an expansive moon roof with state-of-the-art bronze-tinted glass and other signature Pininfarina styling cues such as covered headlamps, classic egg-crate grille and sweeping rear sails. From one’s first look, the 365 P Berlinetta Speciale is in the pinnacle of a long line of coachbuilt Ferraris and leads the most elegant and enduring sports car designs of the 1960s.

Significant History

Tre Posti is the result of a unique collaboration between Enzo Ferrari, Sergio Pininfarina, and Luigi Chinetti. Constructed at the height of the P car program in 1966, the 365 P Berlinetta Speciale, chassis 8971, was the first mid-engine 12-cylinder Ferrari designed specifically for use as a road car. Tre Posti is a prototype model based on the Ferrari 365 P2, a model that was successfully campaigned by Chinetti’s NART. According to Pininfarina, the 365 P Berlinetta Speciale has the distinction of being the last car made by the firm for a private client. Before it was purchased by Chinetti Motors, this car was unveiled at the 53rd International Paris Motor Show as the key Pininanfarina show car. A global tour in 1966 and 1967 followed, including engagements at key auto shows in Brussels, London and Los Angeles. Dubbed “a world-wide novelty” in a Pininfarina press release from October 16, 1966, Tre Posti was met with great fanfare on the show circuit and was prominently featured in numerous magazines and publications. Since its delivery to Chinetti Motors in 1967, the car has only been sold twice to important Ferrari clients but returned to Chinetti family ownership in 1969, where it has remained ever since.

By any standard, Tre Posti is among the most important Ferraris of all time. Gooding & Company is honored to offer such a powerful mechanical treasure during our Pebble Beach Auctions this August. (estimate upon request)

The Pebble Beach Auctions

Date(s): Saturday, August 16 at 5:00 pm PST and Sunday, August 17 at 6:00 pm PSTLocation: Equestrian Center, Corner of Stevenson Drive and Portola Road, Pebble BeachPublic preview: August 13-17Auctions catalogues: $100, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auctionsGeneral admission: $40, includes admission for one to the viewing and the auctionsLive auction broadcast: www.goodingco.comFacebook:www.facebook.com/GoodingCompanyTwitter:@GoodingCompanyRSS:www.goodingco.com/rss.xml

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The video above offers a super-detailed review of the all-new S63 Coupe, and in photos below we see what the car looks like with the opaque sunroof panel both in place, and also rolled up out of the way. Just to be crystal clear, this sunroof does not open up, and it offers an opaque window shade that slides back out of view to make the coupe seem much more like a convertible. This makes this open-air coupe feel even more like a convertible, and in my opinion, it is dramatic how different it looks with the shade in place, and well as when it is removed.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

This is a fascinating photo of Steve McQueen hauling-ass through the San Francisco Marina in his Ford 1968 Mustang fastback from the movie Bullitt. He is on Marina Boulevard heading North toward the Golden Gate Bridge, and he just passed Fort Mason and Safeway.

I tried to find the exact vantage point, from the photo above. It is interesting to note that the Bank of America building (pictured on far right) was being erected in 1967-1968 and you can see its skeleton in the photo above, and see it as it is today in the picture below.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered by many to be the greatest architect of the 20th Century, and he is pictured below standing in front of one the homes he designed, and he has is standing in front of his Mercedes 300S Sedan, which kind of looks like a Rolls Royce, and Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing.

The Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing is considered to be one of the most classic, iconic and collectable cars ever made. Frank Lloyd Wright also designed the Manhattan Mercedes Benz dealership located at 430 Park Avenue in New York City in the 1950s for Max Hoffman, who was a car importer.

Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous piece of residential architecture was likely "Falling Water" which is a residential home built on top of a natural waterfall, which is pictured below.

Frank Lloyd Wright Car Design

Frank Lloyd Wright was a design fanatic, and many people don't realize that at one point he attempted to redesign the automobile, as see below in this article that ran in the May 24th, 1959 issue of "This Weeks Magazine". This Weeks Magazine was a Supplement that was included in many Sunday newspapers in America.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Wow!?!?! Talk about retro-coolness, Porsche just brought back the original iconic Porsche 911 Targa, and it is not only an amazing design, but technically incredible and an instant classic. Porsche introduced the all new 911 Targa today at the Detroit Motor Show.

1968 Porsche 911 Targa

F. A. Porsche is pictured below in front of his 1968 Porsche 911 S Targa model, which is a scaled model.

Just to put things in perspective, I thought I would post some images of vintage Porsche 911 Targa ads. This first one is from 1968, and shows the Porsche 911 Targa with the convertible clear plastic rear window, which could be let down. Obviously the original design intent of the Porsche Targa was to offer a safer alternative to a standard cabriolet convertible soft-top, since the Targa has the built-in roll bar. Porsche launched the original 911 Targa in 1965.

1969 Porsche 911 Targa

The next photo below shows a 1969 Porsche 911 Targa with the convertible clear plastic window in the lowered position, as apposed to the photo above where it is in the up closed position.

The image below shows a 1969 Porsche 911 Targa with the fixed glass rear window. It strikes me that Porsche decided to eliminate the soft plastic rear window since it probably did not make that much of a difference, and of course glass is more durable and has better rear visibility.

The next image shows a Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, which I believe was introduced in 1975, and it has a much more modern look as witnessed by the updated bumpers.

The photo below shows the standard Porsche 911 in a hardtop, Targa, and convertible. I believe Porsche made the first convertible 911 in 1983, and eventually in the 1990s discontinued the 911 Targa.

The Return Of The King Of Targa

I would say the all-new Porsche 911 Targa 4s, is a magnificently cool sports car!!! With standard four-wheel-drive, it is ready to go anywhere, and it doesn't matter wether it's snowing or sunny...the new Targa is read, and what a handsome looking piece of serious German engineering...

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Welcome To Jake's Car World

My name is Jake Ehrlich and I am the editor and publisher of Jake's Car World.

I have an interesting story to share with you. I became fascinated with cars when I was little kid playing with my Hot Wheels. When I was in the third grade, I started drawing Speed Racer's Mach 5 with a pencil and paper. Every time, I would daw the Mach 5, I would try to improve the lines.

When I was fourteen, I fell in love with the 1969 Chevy Camaro, and at the same time, I would go to school everyday, and in class I would sit and draw cars all day long.

When I was 17 I wanted to become an automotive designer, and I was talented at designing cars, but I just could not imaging going to work for an American car company as a designer. This was in the mid 1980s, when American cars were at their all-time worst. This was the generation of cars cars that had evolved from the Gremlin, to the Pinto, into the Chrysler Reliant-K.

I remember thinking at the time, that the only option would have been to learn German, and move to Germany, and I did not want to do so. So I went into clothing design. Years later, I started designing computer hardware, and software, which I still do with my company BulletTrain.

I also blog like crazy, so it made sense to begin Jake's Car World, which I sincerely hope you enjoy.